Juliet Strauss ‘17: Seed to Salad
Second-graders learning to plant seeds at Yale Farm
I woke up Wednesday morning, September 16, a bit more excited than I typically do on most “hump days.” Smiling while brushing my teeth, my roommate asked if I was doing okay in a concerned tone. Needless to say, I am not a morning person. The truth was that I was more than okay; I was feeling great because it was the first day of Seed to Salad!
What is Seed to Salad, you ask? It is nothing short of the best-kept secret at the Yale Farm. One hour a week for five-weeks, undergraduate and graduate student volunteers have the unique opportunity to plant seeds with second graders from a nearby elementary school, engage with them on the farm, encourage curiosity in their surroundings, and ultimately harvest and prepare a salad with the vegetables they helped them plant.
I was admittedly a bit nervous to teach, worried that I may misspeak or forget what the day’s activities were, but as soon as the little farmers ran down the gravel driveway my nerves were soothed. The farmers promptly scribbled farmer nametags in colored pencil, each unique and special (example below).
One little farmer’s nametag
First on the agenda was teaching the little farmers the community rules of respect to lay the ground rules for farm etiquette. Every week from that point onwards the little farmers couldn’t wait to participate and share the community rules, eagerly raising their hands and even shouting out before being called on. (I don’t think I have seen adults that excited about respect in a long time)! We also taught them the “seed to seed dance.” From seed to root to shoot to leaf to flower and back to seed, the little farmers embodied each part of the life cycle of a plant. Smiles crept across their faces as they sucked up water into their stems (legs). And each little farmer had the opportunity to personalize their flowers (faces) by shouting out their favorite color at the top of their lungs. Each flower was different, a lesson in diversity.
In addition to filling out nametags, learning the rules of respect and dancing, the little farmers toured the farm. They learned about compost, the wood fired oven, the different plant beds, and most exciting to them, the chickens! (It took a bit of nagging to get them away from that station as the egg laying process fascinated them). Most importantly, the little farmers got to plant some seeds and watch them as they grew over the five weeks.
Little farmers learning about compost
The five weeks went by too fast, but culminated in a great salad celebration! On the last day, the kids got to witness how the seeds they planted, just a month prior, grew to be edible lettuce leaves, carrots and radishes. Not only did they see this, but they also picked the mustard greens, carrots and radishes they had planted, washed them and brought them to the table where they were tossed with salad dressing and a side of fresh bread. The salad celebration was bitter sweet. The kids expressed how much they enjoyed coming to the farm and were saddened (as was I) knowing that this would be the last week of the seed to salad program for the semester.
Little and big farmers picking the greens they grew in preparation for the salad celebration
The little farmers taught me more than I could imagine, they made me laugh, they inspired me to ask questions, they revitalized me and they reminded me what it was like to be a kid, energetic and curious. I would hope that the Seed to Salad program taught these 2nd graders something about what it means to grow and care for something living, informed them about where their food comes from, and simply allowed a time for play and exploration during a conventional school day.
…Well, the secret’s out. The farm is not only a place for college aged students and people affiliated with Yale to eat pizzas on Fridays and harvest crops throughout the week. The Yale Farm can be a classroom and a space where people young and old can learn, laugh, question and eat!
Juliet is a junior in Ezra Stiles College, majoring in Environmental Studies. She’s a culinary events intern for the YSFP.
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